Library of Parliament

What Library of Parliament does

The Library of Parliament is a Canadian government state institution established in 1867 under the Parliament of Canada Act to support the operations of the Parliament of Canada. It operates under the joint authority of the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, overseen by the Joint Standing Committee of the Library of Parliament, and is funded entirely through parliamentary appropriations rather than commercial revenue. Its primary customers are Parliamentarians (Senators and Members of Parliament), with secondary service to parliamentary staff, committees, parliamentary associations, and the Canadian public. The Parliamentary Librarian holds the rank of deputy head of a department.

The Library's core offerings center on authoritative, non-partisan research and information services. Personalized analysts deliver confidential research on any public policy subject to parliamentarians, while digital platforms extend access across the public. These platforms include Parlinfo (a parliamentary database covering parliamentarians, legislation, elections, and historical records from 1867 to present), LEGISinfo (legislative tracking), the Library catalogue, the educational portal learn.parl.ca, and the visitor experience site visit.parl.ca. The institution also maintains unique heritage collections including rare books, historical artifacts such as the Confederation Inkstand, and operates from the only original Parliament building to survive the 1916 Centre Block fire.

The Library is currently in a transitional operating posture: the iconic Main Library building is closed for a decade-long rehabilitation project beginning in 2025, and services are being delivered from five new or renovated branches distributed throughout the Parliamentary Precinct in Ottawa. Strategic direction is set by the published Strategic Plan 2023-2028, with the Accessibility Plan 2025-2028 guiding compliance with the CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024 accessibility standard. Distribution is bilingual under the Official Languages Act and combines digital self-service with in-person research assistance and visitor programs.

Name

Library of Parliament

Legal name

Library of Parliament (Bibliothèque du Parlement)

Website

https://lop.parl.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Library of Parliament is a Canadian government institution established in 1867 that provides authoritative, non-partisan research, analysis, and digital information services to Parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, and the Canadian public, funded through parliamentary appropriations rather than commercial revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Parliamentary Information Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Legislative Bodies (92112), Legislative Bodies (921120)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG), Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB), State Legislature/Regional Assembly Administration (BPAIABAB), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE)

Keywords

• Parliamentary research services
• Legislative information systems
• Government library services
• Parliamentary education programs
• Historical document archives

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Library of Parliament is the official library of the Parliament of Canada, providing authoritative, non-partisan research, analysis, and information services to Parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, and the Canadian public. It maintains comprehensive collections of parliamentary resources, historical documents, and rare materials, and delivers digital platforms including the Parlinfo database, LEGISinfo legislative tracking system, educational portals, and visitor experience programs, all provided free of charge.

Product overview

The Library of Parliament operates a portfolio of interconnected information services and digital platforms rather than a single product. The core offerings include Parlinfo (a comprehensive parliamentary database covering parliamentarians, legislation, elections, and political history), Research Publications (legislative summaries and policy research), LEGISinfo (legislative tracking), the Education Platform/Learn portal (public educational resources), Collection Spotlight (digital archive of rare books and artifacts), and the Immersive Experience (visitor program). These services are provided free of charge to parliamentarians and the public to support democratic awareness and parliamentary functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parlinfo

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Parliamentary Partners (Senate and House of Commons)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Library operates under the authority of the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons as per the Parliament of Canada Act. The Joint Standing Committee of the Library of Parliament (composed of Senators and MPs) assists the Speakers in examining the effectiveness, management, and operation of the Library.
• Government of Canada PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Library collaborates with partners across the Government of Canada to ensure accessible products and services and to remove accessibility barriers for employees, clients, and the public.
• Accessibility Standards CanadacoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Library aligns its digital accessibility practices with the CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024 standard issued by Accessibility Standards Canada, ensuring websites, applications, documents, and ICT procurement meet established accessibility requirements.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe): SPICe provides non-partisan research and analysis to Scottish Parliament members. It is comparable in mandate but operates within a sub-national, devolved legislature rather than a federal parliament.
• European Parliament Library: The European Parliament Library provides research and documentation services to Members of the European Parliament. It is comparable in mandate but operates at a supranational rather than national level.

Direct peers

• New Zealand Parliamentary Library: The New Zealand Parliamentary Library serves members of Parliament with research and information services, comparable to the Library of Parliament in mandate, scale, and constitutional positioning within a Westminster parliamentary system.
• Library of Congress: The Library of Congress is the U.S. federal legislative library, directly comparable to the Library of Parliament in mandate, scale, and services to national parliamentarians. Both institutions provide research, cataloging, and historical recordkeeping for their respective legislatures.
• Library of the Australian Parliament: The Library of the Australian Parliament provides research and information services to Australian parliamentarians, with a comparable Commonwealth-style mandate and non-partisan research function.
• House of Commons Library (UK): The UK House of Commons Library serves British parliamentarians with non-partisan research and analysis, mirroring the Library of Parliament's mandate. Both institutions provide confidential briefing services and public-facing research publications.
• Bibliothèque de l'Assemblée nationale (France): The French National Assembly Library serves French MPs with research, documentation, and heritage services, comparable in scope and constitutional role to the Library of Parliament. Both are national legislative libraries with bicameral contexts.
• Bundestag Library (Germany): The German Bundestag's library and research services division serves members of the Bundestag with non-partisan research and analysis, paralleling the Library of Parliament's research and information mandate.
• Senate Library (United States): The U.S. Senate Library provides research and information services specifically to U.S. Senators and their staff. It is comparable as a chamber-specific legislative library but with a narrower scope than the Library of Parliament's bicameral service.

Broad incumbents

• National Diet Library of Japan: The National Diet Library serves both houses of the Japanese Diet and acts as Japan's national library. It overlaps with the Library of Parliament's legislative library role but also operates as a comprehensive national library.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LibraryParlCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/library-of-parliament

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Library of Parliament